The adoption by MEPs in plenary session on Wednesday 15 December of the text proposed by Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany) on digital markets (DMA) (see EUROPE 12854/21) has since prompted reactions from a number of organisations and associations.
On the media side, several industry organisations welcomed the European Parliament’s vote in a joint statement, saying that the agreement “reflects the political vision needed to preserve a diverse, vibrant and innovative media landscape”.
The stakeholders, who stress in particular the importance of maintaining quantitative thresholds for the definition of gatekeepers and the inclusion of voice assistants in the scope, warn, however, of several aspects that “could undermine effective competition in the provision of media content”.
Among other things, these media stakeholders call for guarantees that gatekeepers cannot circumvent the obligation to provide business users with access to both non-personal and personal data, and for more work on the combination of personal data.
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) also welcomed the plenary agreement on the DMA, but called on the EU Council to “follow the Parliament’s position” on the issue.
“It is crucial that the EU sets an example to the rest of the world by ensuring that the digital economy works for the benefit of consumers rather than exclusively for the benefit of the tech giants”, said BEUC Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl.
Interinstitutional negotiations will start under the French Presidency of the EU Council, which will begin its mandate in January 2022 (see EUROPE 12836/2).
“There is now an urgent need to act to modernise the rules. France will make every effort to move forward with negotiations with the European Parliament on this structuring legislative project, which is a priority for Europe”, summarised the Secretary of State for the Digital Transition, Cédric O. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)